Nancy Zavada returns for part two of her Green Champions conversation, this time pulling back the curtain on the actual work behind sustainable events. As president of MeetGreen, Nancy has saved clients $7.8 million in sustainability-driven decisions and cut $2.5 million in aisle carpet alone from a single event last year. This episode is a masterclass in making the business case for doing things better.

On a cross-country flight, she ordered tea in economy and got a styrofoam cup, a plastic stir stick, and a sugar packet. On the way back, upgraded to first class, the same tea arrived in a china cup with a silver spoon and a sugar cube. That airline wasn't trying to be sustainable. They were trying to be elegant. Nancy's point is that we've somehow convinced ourselves that sustainability means sacrifice, when the most refined, considered experiences have always been the most efficient.

The practical strategies Nancy shares in this episode are the kind that stick. The Clean Plate Club, which turns food waste reduction into a community game at multi-day conferences. The stone-in-a-jar voting system that replaced conference swag with charitable giving. The carbon uncalculator MeetGreen built during COVID to show clients exactly how much emissions they avoided by going virtual. And the emerging Hub and Spoke event model that she believes is the next major shift in how organizations gather. Each idea is grounded in the same philosophy: reduce first, always. Then measure, share the data, and let the numbers do the talking.

Episode in a glance

02:08 The internal focus group: Balancing logistics with sustainability
04:54 Rebranding Green: Why first class is the ultimate sustainability model
06:46 The Clean Plate Club: Gamifying food waste at scale
14:00 The $7.8M Business Case: Saving money through intentional reduction
23:44 The Hub and Spoke: Why the future of gathering is regional

About Nancy Zavada

Nancy Zavada is the Founder and President of MeetGreen, a firm dedicated to providing sustainable event management and consulting for some of the world's most recognizable brands. With over three decades of experience, Nancy is a recognized leader in the industry, helping organizations reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining high-quality attendee experiences. She is an Oregon native, a lifelong environmentalist, and a passionate mentor to the next generation of green event professionals.

Connect with Nancy Zavada and her work

• Email → nancy@meetgreen.com
• LinkedIn → Nancy Zavada
• Company Website → MeetGreen

Send us a message!

Nancy Zavada is the founder and president of MeetGreen, a sustainable event agency that has spent over 30 years helping organizations design and deliver events that are both environmentally responsible and genuinely exceptional.

Nancy grew up on the Oregon Coast, where recycling wasn't a trend but a way of life. She never set out to start a company. She was simply an event planner who noticed something she couldn't unsee: a single five-day conference for 2,500 people would generate 31,000 styrofoam cups destined straight for the landfill. That moment didn't just bother her. It moved her. She made one different ordering decision, told everyone about it, and never looked back. That's the kind of founder Nancy is. Not the type chasing product market fit, but the type whose values simply outgrew the room she was in.

What followed was 32 years of building MeetGreen into a firm that serves clients from 300-person workshops to 60,000-person global conferences across Singapore, Brazil, Denmark, and beyond. Nancy shares the practical wisdom behind her approach: find the champion in every room, lead with education, and always make the business case. She also offers a beautifully simple piece of advice for young sustainability professionals: don't try to take on the world. Pick one thing. Get really good at it. Then pick the next one.

Episode in a glance

00:10 Meet the Woman Who's Been Greening Events Since Before It Was a Thing
03:16 31,000 Styrofoam Cups in One Week: The Moment That Started It All
06:03 Before It Was Called Sustainability: Pioneering Green Meetings in 1994
08:57 Still an Accidental Founder After 32 Years: The MeetGreen Origin Story
13:13 How COVID Forced the Events Industry to Finally Catch Up
16:15 Pick One Thing, Get Really Good at It, Then Pick the Next One

About Nancy Zavada

Nancy Zavada is the Founder and President of MeetGreen, a firm dedicated to providing sustainable event management and consulting for some of the world's most recognizable brands. With over three decades of experience, Nancy is a recognized leader in the industry, helping organizations reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining high-quality attendee experiences. She is an Oregon native, a lifelong environmentalist, and a passionate mentor to the next generation of green event professionals.

Connect with Nancy Zavada and her work

• Email → nancy@meetgreen.com
• LinkedIn → Nancy Zavada
• Company Website → MeetGreen

Send us a message!

Karimah Hudda, founder of Illumine Earth, returns for part two of her conversation with Dominique and Christy. After exploring her roots, Karimah dives into her "champion story." From the mountains of Indonesia to the boardrooms of global giants, she shares the tactical moves and mindset shifts required to rebalance power in global supply chains and lead with purpose. Karimah recounts a powerful story from Aceh, Indonesia, where a simple shift in strategic planning allowed 100 farmers to fundamentally change their relationship with exporters. It’s a vivid reminder that real impact isn’t about doing the work for people, it’s about providing the tools for them to unleash their own potential. Karimah challenges the idea that systems change has to be slow and complicated, offering a refreshing mantra for anyone trying to make a difference: simplify, believe in people, and stay messy.

The conversation also tackles the corporate "survival guide" for sustainability leaders. Karimah breaks down her signature framework for driving change without burning out. She explains why you must learn the "language of the business" (because the business won't learn yours) and how to balance personal, enterprise, and industry leadership.

Episode in a glance

04:56 From guerrilla warriors to expert coffee negotiators
08:28 Karimah's mantra: Simplify, believe in people, and stay messy
16:47 The challenge of passing the torch in long-term work
19:51 The 3 Pillars: Personal, Enterprise, and Industry leadership
22:38 Unlearning burnout: Why sustainability leaders must "flourish"

About Karimah Hudda

Karimah Hudda is the founder of Illumine Earth, a consultancy focused on helping leaders navigate complexity and drive systems change. With over 20 years of experience, she has led sustainability initiatives for global brands, non-profits, and community-based organizations. Karimah is a passionate advocate for equity and has lived, worked, and traveled in nearly 50 countries, bringing a truly global perspective to the fight for a more sustainable and just world.

Connect with Karimah Hudda and her work

Website → illumine.earth

LinkedIn → Karimah Hudda

Send us a message!